- 10
Ingredients
- Gesine's Piecrust:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup (two sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled in the freezer about 10 minutes
- 1/2 cup ice water (or 1/4 cup ice water and 1/4 cup chilled vodka)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Filling:
- 10 large dark plums, pitted and cut into quarters (3 to 3 1/2 pounds)
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons chopped candied ginger
- 2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and cloves
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup coarse sugar
Preparation
Step 1
Pie crust:
1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, pulse together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup unsalted butter (cut into small pieces and chilled in the freezer about 10 minutes), 1 Tbsp. sugar, and 1 tsp. salt until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. In a small bowl whisk together 1/2 cup ice-cold water (or 1/4 cup each vodka* and water) and 1 tsp. lemon juice. Slowly add to the flour mixture, pulsing until dough just comes together. Squeeze a small piece of dough between your thumb and index finger to make sure it holds its shape. Follow pie recipe for dividing and refrigerating dough. *Alcohol forms less gluten (the protein in flour that can create tough dough) than water, so using half flavorless vodka will yield tender, easy-to-roll dough and an extra flaky crust.
TIP: For more control over the crimping, you can substitute 4 tablespoons of the butter with very cold vegetable shortening.
Pie:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Divide pastry in half; form halves into balls. Wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
2. For plum filling, in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven combine plum quarters with 1/2 cup water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat; drain well. Return plums to Dutch oven. In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar, cornstarch, candied ginger, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and cloves; add to plums in the Dutch oven. Add vanilla. Toss gently to combine.
3. For bottom crust, on a lightly floured surface use your hands to slightly flatten one pastry ball. Roll pastry from center to edges into a circle 12 inches in diameter, about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate without stretching. Trim pastry to a 1/2-inch beyond edge of pie plate. In a small bowl stir together sugar and 1 Tbsp. cornstarch; sprinkle over dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
4. For top crust, roll remaining ball into a 12-inch-diameter circle or large rectangle. Use a lattice roller to roll through dough. Remove bottom crust from refrigerator; spoon in filling. Cover with lattice crust; trim edges. Crimp or decorate as desired. Whisk together egg and 1 Tbsp. water; brush on top crust. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
5. Place a foil-lined baking sheet on the rack below the pie in the oven. Bake pie 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours until filling is thick and bubbly and crust is golden brown. (If after 1 hour crust is already golden, gently cover with aluminum foil for remaining baking time.) Cool on a wire rack. Makes 10 servings.